additional math versus AP electives?

Applying to College
1

<p>Hey, there. I'm heading into my senior year and I've completed up through pre-calculus in my school's math curriculum (1 credit beyond what my school requires for graduation). I have a vested interest in politics, government, and economics, so my current Senior year schedule is based around a challenging courseload that caters to my passions and future goals of study. My question is, should I drop my senior study hall to take AP statistics or AP Calculus AB to make my senior schedule more competitive? I plan on applying to Notre Dame and Vanderbilt as my top two schools in the fall.</p>

<p>My schedule for next year (in no particular order):</p>

<p>AP Government/Microeconomics
AP Human Geography
AP Psychology
AP English IV
Wind Ensemble
Chorale
Study Hall</p>

<p>I could drop the study hall for a math class, leaving me with 6 AP classes... Or I could replace one of the other AP classes (either Psych or Human Geo - GovEcon and English are required credits for graduation). Thoughts?</p>

2

<p>Best would be to take calculus, since economics majors will need at least a year of calculus (and more math if emphasizing the more mathematical areas of the field or planning on graduate school). Calculus will also help in understanding statistics beyond the basic level of AP statistics; a stronger understanding of statistics is typically required for economics majors and should be helpful for political science majors.</p>